Remote Sensing Research Laboratory (RSRL) focuses on the three related areas - Satellite, Radar, and Weather Modification. Satellite team focuses on the development and application of satellite data processing system and its derived products. Radar team focuses on radar data processing for evaluation of wind fields and precipitation using X-band Doppler radar. Weather modification team not only conducts the basic studies of rainfall enhancement for the drought solution, but also studies severe weather control.
Research on the application of meteorological satellite data
Development of COMS Meteorological Data Processing System (CMDPS)
Operation and utilization of a X-band Doppler weather radar for weather forecasting
Hydrology and weather modification to understand on cloud physics and to prevent nature disasters
Study on the application of available remote sensing data including meteorological satellite and radar data
Development of retrieval algorithms and their S/W modules for 16 meteorological baseline products for COMS
Monitoring and research of severe weather phenomena by Doppler radar
Development of radar operation, data processing and display
Development of cloud seeding technology and weather modification

This study aims to derive meteorological product from next generation satellite data and to improve the accuracy of products to enhance the ability of weather forecasting and atmospheric research in general.

Main subjects are :
Development of retrieval algorithm for meteorological products
Characterization of new channel data from new instruments onboard satellites
Emphasis on the application of microwave and hyper-spectral data

Currently, algorithms such as Cloud Amount (CA), Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Asian Dust (AD) and Atmospheric Motion Vector (AMV) from MTSAT-1R data are under development. For supporting activity, sensitivities of satellite data for different parameters using the radiative transfer model are analyzed. For the operational application goal, products from LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites with better spectral resolution are under investigation.

COMS (Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite), planned for launch in 2008, is a multi-mission geostationary satellite as the name stands for. KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration) is responsible for the meteorological mission, while RSRL is responsible for the development of data processing system for the meteorological application of COMS, so called the COMS Meteorological Data Processing System (CMDPS).

The primary function of CMDPS is to derive level 2 environmental products using the geolocated and calibrated level 1B data. Algorithms for 16 baseline products have been developed. The baseline products include cloud information, cloud type, rain rate, sea/land surface temperature and emissivity, water vapor information, insolation, and so on. The system also includes absolute calibration of visible channel and monitoring of IR channel data (http://coms.metri.re.kr).
RSRL operates the mobile X-band Doppler radar to research the structures of the precipitation system and to monitor the severe weather. The final goals of these studies are :
To develop the Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) using radar reflectivity
To acquire the Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) using the modified VSRF of JMA
To improve the horizontal wind retrieval from Doppler radars analysis
To enlarge the monitoring skill for severe weather and improve forecast technology.

QPE: RAR (Radar-AWS Rain rate)
The objective of this research is to estimate the quantitative rain intensities with 1 km horizontal resolution from the Z-R relationships obtained by Window Probability Matching Method (WPMM) every 10 minutes.

Very Short-Range Forecast of precipitation
The analyzed hourly precipitation have been forecasted using Very Short-Range Forecast of precipitation (VSRF) model supported from Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) in 2003. We renewed this system with 5 km spatial resolution of radar-AWS (Automated Weather System) rain-rate, and elongate the forecasting time of VSRF from 3 hours to 6 hours in line with the start of operational NWP model.

Horizontal wind retrieval
Wind retrieval skills from Doppler weather radars were improved to understand the kinematic structure of a mesoscale convective system. Retrieval methods based on single and dual Doppler radars include Velocity Azimuth Display (VAD) and Volume Velocity Processing (VVP).



METRI X-band Radar
Location : Muan ( 35.09¡ÆN, 126.28 ¡ÆE)
Peak Power : 200 kW
Wavelength : 3.2 cm (Frequency : 9630 MHz)
Beam width : 1.2¡Æ,
Pulse Repetition Time : 0.5, 1.0 ¥ìsec
Pulse Repetition Frequency : 500 ? 2000 Hz
Volume Scan: 19 elevations
RHI Scan with 32 m/s nyquist velocity
Interval of scan schedule: 10 minutes
The object of cloud seeding is to enhance the precipitation for the target area. To find the effective seeding method, weather modification team has been conducted three studies : the ground-based and aircraft seeding experiments, the cloud physics observation, and the cloud model and theory.

Theory and Model
We have developed the Micro Cloud Modification (MCM, Ver. 1.0) model to understand the variance of cloud/fog droplets compared simulation with experiments. To verify the weather modification experimental results, we have developed the new instruments such as the PIC (Picture Image Capturer).

Observations and Analysis
To observe and analyze the change of cloud and fog characteristics before and after the weather modification experiment, we have established the real-time Cloud Physics Observation System (http:// weamod.metri.re.kr) and Daegwallyeong Supersite by implementing the cloud observation instruments: Forward Scatting Spectrometer Probe (FSSP), Microwave Radiometer (MWR) and Micro Rain Radar (MRR) at Daegwallyeong meteorological station.

Experiments and Equipments
We have investigated the possibility of weather modification by the cloud and fog modification experiments. The airplane seeding experiments with AgI and dry ice gives the slight enhancement of precipitation. During the foggy day in June 2005, we have also performed twice ground hygroscopic material seeding experiments to dissipate fogs in Deagwallyeong Supersite.